Starboard to produce surfboard components made from discarded fishing nets

September 26, 2018 |Surfing

Starboard and Royal DSM teamed up to create surfboard components made from discarded fishing nets.

The watersports company founded by Svein Rasmussen, and the Dutch nutrition, health, and sustainable living firm will start collecting abandoned fishing nets from the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea.

Later, the joint-venture will upcycle the nylon-based nets and produce several surf gear items including fin boxes, fins, stand-up paddleboard pumps, and other parts that can be used in surfboards.

Starboard and Royal DSM hope that the collection, sorting, cleaning, and processing of discarded fishing nets will create sustainable livelihoods for several coastal communities in India.

The new surfboard components made from discarded fishing nets will result in more litter-free beaches and a healthier marine environment with fewer plastics.

"We hope that our collaboration with Starboard encourages other companies to use waste to make long-lasting, high-value materials, and promote a more circular economy," notes Matt Gray, director at Royal DSM.

"It's quick and easy to build better boards for the planet, and will continue to introduce more eco-innovations in our products that can lower their environmental impact," adds Rasmussen, the CEO of Starboard.

According to the figures from the United Nations (UN), more than eight million tonnes of plastic are dumped in the oceans of the world every year.

The UN experts believe that there are around 640,000 tonnes of ghost fishing nets abandoned and floating at sea.